The Portland daily press., 1887-12-31
ORDERED TO STRIKE.
This Is the Decree OF the Reading
Employees Convention,
But the Great Mass of the Men
Refuse to obey.
The Road Being Operated with Lit
tic Difficulty.

This order does moi include passenger tIdiu,
signal tower and street crossing men, and
fiagmen and track walkers.
After the adjournment of the convention
the miners held separate session and did
not adjourn until o'clock this morning
They agreed to give full financial and moral
support to the strikers ON the railroad.
The Schuylkill delegates. almost to man,
predicted that the company's 10000 miners
would strike if they were not given the per
cent. advance. Chairman Lee, of the exec.
utive committee, said this morning that II
the strike of miners did take place it would
not only affect the Schuylkill miners but
those in the Wyoming coal fields, as well as
the Lehigh miners. He felt sure they would
all remain firm, thus placing on strike at one
time 100000 miners aud not pound OF coal
could then be mined.
SuAMoKIN, Pa, Dec. 30--The order to
strike had no discernibla effect here at noon.
ELIzABETHPohT, N. j., Dec. 30.-Work
at the docks of the Resding Railroad Com
pany is actively going on. The company
claim they have now all the men the re-
quire.
READING, Pa, Dec. 30-1.30 P. NJ. All
trains are moving as usual today. In Read
ing and vicinity everything Is absolutely
quiet.
PHILADELPHIA, Dec 30.-Very little at
tention was paid today to the order for a
general strike on the Reading system, either
at Harrisburg, Williamsport, Tamaqua, or
Pottsville. At all four points men were
working as usual.
NEW YORK, Dec. 30.-The Socialist paper,
Volks Zeitung, today published, blood,
thirsty circular, which is being distributed
along the lines of railroads and docks in this
city The circular is addressed to Fellow
Workmen," and says:
Yesterday it was the slaughter of our COM
rades in Chicago; today the assassination of co.
OOD of our brothers by the Philadelphia q Read
ing Railroad system. Do not waste your force on
"scabs." Destroy by all the agencies at your
tem,-the Corbins, Maxwells and Gonlds Let
all they possess to the flames be given. Hound
them night and day. This strike must be made a
war of the classes against the masses.
A despatch from Reading says: Repre-
sentatiyes of the local assemblies claim to-
day that they were not fairly treated by last
nights convention. They charge that the
convention was packed with delegates from
coal regions bent upon forcing strike. In
the language of one, the Schuylkill county
men came here red hot for fight to the fin
ish and determined to force 1000 employees in
the Reading shops into an unequal contest"
During the discussion p. w. Hawman and
George w. Reisinger, delegates from Read
ing, counseled Cancellation. Anything but
strike" was the rallying cry All to no pur-
ried against the recorded votes of the dele
gates residing in the city, and an adjourn
ment of the convention speedily followed.
Judging by the general feeling here it is safe
to say that no attention whatever will be
paid to the order to strike. The action of
the convent will prove abortive.
WILKEsBARRE, Pa, Dec. 30.-There will
be no strike of miners in the Wyoming re-
giOn. Miners here in this vicinity are not
organized and would not obey the mandates
of the Schuylkill union. The region is
working regularly. The production of coal
is enormous. Miners all seem happy and
cOntented
NoRRIsTowN. Pa, Dec. 3O.-Today ten
employees of the Reading Railroad left po-
sitions ON shifters of freight trains at the
round house, and three at Bridgeport. All
were promptly DISCHARGED and their places
filled. Thirty more applicants are ready to
90 to work. The assistant superintendent
of this division brought 20 men from Phila-
delphia and took down the delayed freight.
Assembly 9941 held a meeting this afternoon.
The strikers tried to persuade their fellow
Knights to 20 out but failed. There is plen-
ty of coal at the furnaces. No trouble is
feared. Among men, who quit and were dis
6HHyg So' ss4i. S9I me ' wo5S'"a" o Asss"'-
READING, Dec. 30-The situation tonight
is practically unchanged. The road con-
tinues in full operation. Shop hands show
evidently losing ground. This week three
trades unions withdrew from the order in
this city, and win be mustered into member
ship with the Track and Labor Council of
the Federation of Labor, the great rival of
the Knights.
Seven hundred men on the Shamokin &
Mahanoy division of the Reading railroad at
Shamokin, M9hanoy Plane and Ashland,
struck today. This may prevent the ship
ment of coal for while, even If the miners
order to strike seems to be obeyed in the coal
regions alone. There is fear of coal fam
inc here.
PHILADELPHIA, Dec. 30.-The executive
committee of District Assembly No. 224, has
issued the following:
To our brother members Of the Knights OF
Labor and woTkingmen in general-We EN-
ployes of the Philadelphia & Reading sys-
tenn now on strike respectfully ask the
Knights of Labor and laboring people in
general. to restrain from seeking employ
ment ON the Philadelphia q Reading road in
Philadelphia, or any other portion OF the
Philadelphia & Reading system, as its en-
ployes are battling for the fundamental
principles of the order-the right to arbitrate
all differences ana the prevention OF victim
ization without good cause.
PHILADELPHIA, Dec. 30.-The only case
IN the city where train hands are known to
have quit work, occurred at West Falls this
evening, when several freight crews side
tracked their trains and abandoned them.
Crews were at once sent from this city TO
take their places and the police department
was asked for protection. The fear is exist
ing that the new crews will be prevented
from going to work. A few officers were
sent, but their services were not needed, and
all but two returned.
The freight handlers and trainmen at the
Willow street station. nearly all members OF
District Assembly $500, emphatically denied
the statement published today that the as
sembly passed resolutions refusing to quit If
ordered to do so. When o'clock came, IL
was generally understood the men were not
notified to cease their labors. All hands dis
persed in the usual quiet way. The night
crew reported promptly, and began work. A
well known engineer said he thought that
no strike would be put on again. Matters
have rested for a time, as "a majority OF the
Knights do not favor another uprising. Com
ment was caused this afternoon when 1t was
known that James Gleason, car inspector at
Willow street wharf, had received notice
from the superintendent that his services
were no longer required. Gleason has been
for long time in the employ of the Reading
road, and his services were valuable.
A crisis in the strike will be reached to-
morrow if the declared intentions of nine of
the local assemblies made up of the entire
number of Reading employees this city are
lived up to. An Unusually large meeting Of
local assembly No. $500 was held tonight.
Representatives OF eight other assemblies
were present. The meeting was enthusi-
astic and at its conclusion about midnight
it was stated that No. $3.50 had resolved to
abide by the action of the Reading conven-
tion. The delegates from the eight other
assemblies, it was said, had pledged the
locals to take similar action. Local No.
$500 is made up of freight stevedores en-
gineeers, conductors, brakemen and others
on the Philadelphia division of the main
line and is one of the largest assemblies on
the system. Local 1902 is composed of
freight handlers at Port Richmond, No.
6535 includes the freight handlers at other
stations in the city; assembly No. 62S6 COM
prises the coal handlers at Port Richmond
out since Tuesday. Assemblies Nos.
8819 10,107, 2,126, 1886 and 2176 are
made up from other departments of the road.
Assembly No. $3.50 appointed committee of
three delegates to acquaint the officials of
the action of the leaders of No. $3.50, which
body are moving spirits in the proposed gen.
eral action. They declare all the men firm,
and that they have only delayed because they
wanted to take concerted action. They
assert that the entire system, with
the exception of the mail service will be tied
up tomorrow. 1t was also resolved at to-
nights meeting to bring suit for damages
against the Reading Company for alleged
wilful delaying kilograms between this city
and points on the company's lines in refer
ence to the present troubles.